The Risk Professional: Good Samaritan reveals risk of industrial espionage on flights

The actions of the passenger aboard the Delta flight from Utah to Boston are to be applauded. Sitting in first class, he (or she) saw a fellow passenger viewing what appeared to be lewd images of young children. (story).

The witness took photos using his cellphone camera and then sent an in-flight e-mail to a contact on the ground asking that they inform the police and request them to meet the flight, which they did.

Excellent and a very responsible use of the available technology.

But what happens if the information on screen (or even on hard copy papers) had been commercial information, perhaps even information that is time sensitive for market purposes?

After all, the flight was en route to Boston, home of the USA's venture capital industry. Such flights are loaded with hopeful VC applicants and VC reps returning with their reports or, even, writing their reports on the plane.

Passengers expect a measure of privacy in premium seating but, on domestic flights, even first class seats are often three-abreast. It is not known what the seating configuration was on the flight concerned.

The risks of the shoulder-surfing fellow passengers are not unknown but even so, it is commonplace for executives to take out confidential documents and draft or read during a flight.

But it is the speed with which the data collected by the witness was passed on and acted upon that gives as much concern as the fact of it.

A recommendation in a VC's report relating to a listed company could be acted upon before the plane lands and so even before the executive makes his internal presentation back at base.

Or a weakness in, say, a patent case could be passed on as a tip before a lawyer even gets back to his office.

Business and First class passengers regard the ability to work in-flight as one of the primary reasons for taking a premium seat. But, it seems, the commercial risks of doing so have been greatly increased by the technology in the pocket of almost every fellow passenger.

It's not going to far to say that everyone with a cellphone now has the capability to bug (visually and aurally) his fellow passengers.

And that, one has to say, is a worrying thought.